a Texas kind of Christmas (and an unforgettable NYE)

I had such good intentions of doing this post (and another post) last week while IN Texas, but a funny thing happens when I visit my parents…

I’m off to a new planet. I completely check out of life. I have no concept of what day it is, what time it is, where my phone is, somehow the list of things I need to get done vanishes and I just veg.out. Part of this has to do with the fact that they have lived in 2 different states since leaving my hometown 8 years ago, so I know no one but them. I absolutely love this! I get to spend all my time with them and them alone! Also, I don’t pay enough attention when we’re driving around town that I probably couldn’t find my way around their block if I tried, so I try to just stay put :) (I realize that this isn’t good in case of emergencies, so I’ll keep praying for no emergencies.)

I have a love-hate relationship with this planet that I somehow disappear to. I love it because I can focus all my attention on my family whom I don’t get to see often enough and not have a care in the world, but I hate dislike (I’ve decided that “hate” is too strong of a word to use here) it because I have that much more I have to get done when I enter reality again.

Anyways, here are some pics from our vacation and our auspicious return…

{Bailey is the sweetest doggie}

{Played lots of Scattergories! I love this creative-thinking game.}

{Matt had help from Bailey with the GIANT crossword puzzle.}

{My parents completely re-did their backyard (through the brutal heat and humidity of a South Texas summer) and my dad made these BEAUTIFUL raised garden beds for my mom- 4th yard they’ve re-done and 4th set of raised beds. We will be enlisting their services when we have a backyard for a garden!}

{This “Big Green Egg” is awesome… cooked the most amazing turkey and ribs. When we have a backyard, we will be getting one of these too :)}

{walking Bailey at Port Aransas}

{sister, mom, me}

{King Ranch- the largest working ranch in the country. It’s as large as Rhode Island.}

{it was very ranch-y}

{us at the Alamo}

{My superbly, amazing and wonderful parents :)}

{These pictures don’t do it justice, but the San Antonio Riverwalk does.it.up for Christmas. So many lights. So pretty.}

{Japanese Tea Garden}

{seees-tahs!!}

I would like to “check out of life” more often, but still stay connected somehow so things are even-keel at all times…. Maybe I should go visit my parents once a month :)

Now for our return trip (this is a much longer post than usual, but we’re almost done!!)….

We flew back to San Diego on NYE (supposed to land around 7:30pm). We thought we would ring in the new year with some friends or perhaps celebrate the new year on east coast time on the couch considering we were traveling all day. Well, other plans were in store for us…

1. Left Denver at 6:30pm (Mtn time)
2. Plane is re-routed to Las Vegas for a medical emergency on board… lady was diabetic and didn’t have her medicine. Seems irresponsible to me, but no one asked me my opinion. Ambulance is waiting at the gate. Paramedics come on the plane. She walks off the plane… no stretcher, no assistance. She gets up and walks off.
3. The pilot tells us that, a) there’s fog in San Diego and we can’t land, b) we landed in Vegas with too much weight on the  plane… maintenance will be checking the plane
4. The gate agent in Vegas is looking into what we’ll do next
5. We sit on the plane for about 45 minutes waiting, waiting and w.a.i.t.i.n.g….. seemed much longer than 45 minutes.
6. (unpleasant) gate agent comes on and says, more or less, “we’re taking the plane back to Denver and we’ll try to get you on other flights, or you can get off here and fend for yourselves. We’re not responsible for any accommodations in Denver.” Then she hangs up the intercom and walks off the plane. She proceeds to ignore everyone that comes up to her once they’re off the plane, looks away as she’s being asked questions, etc. (You can read an interesting article about an incident on our flight, here.)
7. We decide we’d rather be stranded in Vegas than in Denver (considering the service we’d gotten from this airline so far we weren’t sure when they would get us out of Denver- 1 day, 2 days, etc).
8. It’s now around 9pm…. we get a one-way car rental and decide to drive home
9. Now, here’s the rest of the story through the-optimist-in-this-relationship Matt’s eyes…..
“25 miles outside of Vegas we see the twinkling lights of Primm Valley, Nevada, home to Buffalo Bill’s, Whiskey Pete’s and Primm Valley Resort & Casino. We got a room at Whiskey Pete’s for $99. Despite a pretty rockin’ country cover band, realize Whiskey Pete’s is a total dump and switch to Primm Valley R&C for an additional $30. Totally worth it.
Ring in the New Year in Primm Valley, party at O’Mulligan’s Pub with a great Irish band, play craps til 4am, and win enough money to cover the hotel room and drinks… drive to San Diego the next day :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

This must be a sign that something BIG will happen this year (aside from us getting marrrrrrrrrrrried ;))!!!!